In the wire harness fabrication process, a number of different type, size and length of wires are cut to length, marked, assembled, tied, and terminated. The process usually takes place on a flat board studded with pins which are prearranged in a predetermined pattern. The wires are then laid into the pin pattern either manually or automatically. U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,122 discloses an apparatus for the assembly of electrical components in which a rotatable turntable is used. When connecting wires to the components, the wire is wound around the turntable for part of a complete cycle. The conventional method of wire harness fabrication is a labor intensive, slow process and, because of the nature and size of the pin boards, it is difficult to use automatic techniques to reduce errors and labor content.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention, to provide a wire harness fabrication apparatus which is compact in size relative to the conventional devices available and which can be either manually or automatically operationed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a wire harness fabrication apparatus which can be employed in combination with presently available factory automation equipment to form a wire harness manufacturing cell.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a wire harness fabricattion apparatus on which extremely long harness can be formed without unnecessary bends or directional changes in the wire.